More Than 60 Nigerian Girls Escape Captivity From Boko Haram

As the unrest in Nigeria escalates, the victims of extremist group Boko Haram's latest kidnappings have managed to escape.
More than 60 women and children were taken from Kummabza village in Nigeria's Borno state late last month during a raid of the area. An anonymous source in the local government revealed information about the kidnapping, adding that the village itself was also destroyed during the raid. The children involved are between 3 and 12 years old.
The victims have since escaped, according to a high-level security source whose identity hasn't been revealed and a vigilante named Abbas Gava in Borno.
This new attack by Boko Haram comes after they kidnapped over 200 young girls from a Chibok school in April, sparking a worldwide call for Nigeria's government to do everything in their power to bring them home. A few girls escaped in the days after, but a majority of the victims still remain with the Islamic group, which holds the belief that girls should be married, not educated.
A Red 24 security analyst, Ryan Cummings, shared his theory with AFP about Boko Haram's recent actions. Although kidnapping has long been a tactic of Boko Haram's, efforts to rescue the young girls have recently waned, Cummings noted, prompting the belief that Boko Haram is carrying out more kidnappings to reignite hostage negotiations. The group is hoping to convince the Nigerian government to release some of their brethren from prison in exchange for the girls' return.
Meanwhile, the group continues to clash violently with the government. The latter carried out deadly airstrikes against Boko Haram on Thursday (July 3), and were met with a counterattack the following day in Damboa. Boko Haram attacked the military base there, and the Nigerian Defense Ministry reported that six Nigerian soldiers were killed, along with 50 Boko Haram militants.